IJSP Number 5, 2023

71 of engaging in critical consciousness [28, 29]. We also noted that previous theoretical framework and literature on clinical supervision has not integrated a social justice perspective, wherein advocating for the supervisees through the process of engaging in critical consciousness [28, 29]. Perhaps, for supervisors and training programs, taking action to recognize and challenge oppressive and dehumanizing political, economic, and social systems could end in strengthening the supervisory relationship and further develop trust and a space of safety and growth. Our study also illustrated how a strength-based approach to supervision can help further develop an international supervisee’s experience and growth. Indeed, previous studies on international supervisees revealed that training programs/supervisors are heavily taking a deficit perspective toward supervisees, which had “chronic and ongoing problems and stress” on supervisees [9]. Our data noted that being open to international students’ experiences, viewing their cultural approaches to their clients as strengths (e.g., paying close attention to clients and listening more intently), appreciating the mutual learning process, and fostering students’ bicultural identity can be vital to strength-based cross-cultural supervision. Within this context, our data also emphasized that supervisors should take a not- knowing stance to work with otherness [15], instead of assuming or misconstruing supervisee’s underdeveloped areas. Broadly, enhancing strength-based clinical supervision may include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) identifying and building supervisee’s strengths via a collaborative approach; (b) connecting supervisee’s intersecting identities and cultural experiences; (c) acknowledging and naming the impact of sociopolitical and systemic oppression on supervisees (and their clients); and (d) fostering supervisee’s awareness of their own strengths through self-reflection [30]. Our findings from supervisors’ data again confirmed the importance of enhancing the emotional bond and supervisory relationship in cross-cultural supervision [9, 31]. The results of the present study further underscore that the supervisory relationship is not only intertwined with culture talk [9], but also strengthened through cultural humility where supervisors believe in supervision as a mutual learning process. 6. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS Several limitations about our study should be noted. All of our participants are originally from either Asian countries or the United States, and currently are residing and practicing in the United States. Future research should include a more diverse sample of supervisors from other countries. Next, we did not specifically inquire about supervisors’ other salient cultural factors, such social class, religion, and geographical location. Future studies may examine the impact of potential intersectionality of these salient demographic factors on cross-cultural supervision. In addition, future research may explore the role of supervisor-supervisee dyad on cross-cultural supervision.